Translations and an updated bibliography are needed.
The writing talents of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn deserve to be better known overseas.
Most Thais are familiar with the Princess’s writings, especially her more than 50 travel books. Yet the most up-to-date English language listing of her publications, the Bibliography of the Works of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn compiled by Suparat Lertpanichkul, Sukunya Bumroongsook, and Suchitra Chongstitvatana, stops at the year 1999. A revised reprint of this volume, published in 2005, likewise adds no works published after that year. English language readers cannot easily know what the Princess published since that time.
Translations are overdue.
Even for farang readers, the literary charm of the Princess’s writing style is obvious. In her 1974 poem Owl from the 1981 French-language poetry collection Réflexions (Thoughts), the Princess describes
An owl that lurks in the night,
looking for something we cannot see.
Examining this bird of night, I think
Of our life in the vast universe.
May we find pure awareness
By grasping the secrets of nature?
In this powerful poetic metaphor, owls represent the persistent quest for understanding which we hope may lead to deeper consciousness and perception. This labor is represented in the bibliography with such entirely practical volumes as A Validation of the Geographic Information System Developed for Agricultural Development in Phattana Nikhom District, Lop Buri Province (1997). The Princess presided as head of this project, among many others. Yet her more personalized writings, especially her travel books, reveal a joyously informed author aware of the charm and humor in details.
The Princess as Diarist
For readers of English, a translated volume of selections from the travel books by the Princess is long overdue. These include:
Tales of Foreign Lands (1977-1980)
Israel, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Switzerland, England.
Treading the Dragon Land (1981)
The People’s Republic of China.
Joys of Jasmine (1984)
Indonesia
Kangaroo Tour (1984)
Australia
Sojourn in Singapore (1985)
Singapore.
Insights from India (1987)
India
Roman Roaming (1988)
Italy
A Thai Touring Burma (1988)
Burma
Crystal Nights (1989)
Norway
Secrets of the Stars (1989)
France, the Netherlands and Belgium.
So Much to See in Laos (1990)
Laos.
Floral Fancies in a Foreign Land (1990)
Japan
From Afar, the Sand Streams Forward (1990)
The People’s Republic of China
Tracing the Scent of Ginseng (1991)
The Republic of Korea, The People’s Republic of China, North Korea.
High Forest and Clear Water (1991)
Brunei
Seeking Teachers Across the Sky (1991)
The United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, and Belgium.
Khmer in Three Rounds (1992)
Cambodia
A Visit to the Domain of the Red Indians (1992)
The United States
May the Host Prosper! (1992)
Republic of the Philippines.
Duo Touring (1992)
Paris, France and Seville, Spain.
Marvelous Laos! (1992)
Lao PDR.
What is Airak? (1992)
China and Mongolia.
Cold Summer in Antarctica (1993)
Antarctica
Smiles of White Bears (1993)
Russia
Annam-Siam Friendship (1993)
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Royal Walks in the Gardens (1993)
England.
Thai Rice to Japan (1994)
Japan.
Doi Tung-Kengtung (1994)
The Republic of Myanmar.
Through Forests in a Rainstorm (1994)
Malaysia
Opening the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge (1994)
Laos.
Adorable Dracula! (1994)
Romania, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Ireland.
Snowflakes in Misty Streams (1994)
The People’s Republic of China
Berlin Without a Wall (1995)
The Federal Republic of Germany.
Beneath the Clouds of Yunan (1995)
The People’s Republic of China.
Beyond the Realm of Dreams (1995)
The United Kingdom.
Laos Next Door (1995)
Laos.
Marine Groves (1995)
France.
Cosily Cool by the Water (1996)
The People’s Republic of China.
Diary Miracles (1996)
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
As the Winter Wind Whispers (1996)
Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, the Republic of Slovakia, and France
Southern Laos (1996)
Laos.
Romances of the South Pacific (1996)
Pacific Islands, Oceania.
Northern Laos in Late Winter (1997)
Laos.
A Return to the Motherland of China (1997)
The People’s Republic of China.
Beautiful Jiang Nan (1999)
The People’s Republic of China.
Huang He: the Cradle of Civilization (2000)
The People’s Republic of China.
A Student Abroad (2001)
The People’s Republic of China.
Roaming Rajasthan (2001)
New Delhi and Rajasthan.
Upstream, Mountain, and Desert (2001)
The People’s Republic of China.
Rhapsody in Language (2002)
England.
Visiting Overseas Chinese (2002)
The People’s Republic of China.
Food Revives Language (2007)
France
Apart from the obvious interest for farang readers to get an idea of what the Princess saw and experienced during these varied and in-depth travels, there is also the pleasure of becoming acquainted with an informed and witty observer. For example, in Sojourn in Singapore (1985) the Princess took the occasion of a visit to Jurong Bird Park, a landscaped park built on the western slope of Jurong Hill, to make some sketches. She drew a sympathetic image of a flamingo and noted beside the drawing:
How I pity these flamingos. They do not know how to sit and have to be on their feet all the time! In the future they might experience a deep ache in their knees!
This humorous reflection is by an author who fully knows what it means to remain standing during long ceremonies, and the difference between when one may sit and when it is impossible. Transferring this experience to the animal kingdom requires compassion as well as wit, and putting oneself in the situation of another living being. As much as in her poetry, the travel books of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn reveal her human qualities, and would communicate well with readers outside Thailand. For this reason, a carefully selected and translated edition in English of the most interesting and amusing passages from these books would be an excellent cultural passport for farang to better understand the Kingdom. That way, readers overseas could also become owls in search of understanding and consciousness.
(all images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
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